


hear the sea's call (listen to it's stories)

by FiresFromOurHearts



Series: Uncharted Waters [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Death, Families of Choice, Gen, Hope, Hopeful Ending, I've got no idea what to tag, It's Uzushio's fall and not everyone survives unfortunately, Kirigakure | Hidden Mist Village, Near Death Experiences, Refugees, Running, Second Shinobi War, Stories as hope, Team as Family, The Fall Of Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, story telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 6,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29254254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiresFromOurHearts/pseuds/FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: Uzushio falls and Toru dies, but there are so many other stories out there. Uzushio is not one person. Uzushio had been a village. Uzu no Kuni had been a country. Kirigakure's actions touched all of them, killed so many of them, who will tell their stories?(The sea. It's always been the sea.)Then there are the stories Kiri would not want shared, because those ninjas have their own tales to tell to.(The sea hears their stories and so the sea will tell them too.)
Relationships: Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Uncharted Waters [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875832
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Kosuke Iwata (Kiri)

**Author's Note:**

> A number of these chapters will have warnings attached to them. Please pay heed to the notes at the beginning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It doesn't begin in Uzushio. It begins in Kiri.

**_Kirigakure_  
_Kosuke Iwata_ **

Kosuke Iwata isn’t made for war. He’s a chūnin, made for fighting and missions, and he’s a _ninja_. But war? War is a different beast entirely. It’s not even begun and Kosuke knows how it will go. It’ll be worse than his worst missions, it’ll be blood and horror and every nightmare he’s ever had, _(and it’ll be one that never ends)_.

The worst part is that Kosuke knows he’s going to be out on the warfront, going to be fighting tooth and nail for every single step. He’s a nobody and nobodies are really just cannon fodder for Kiri, though no one ever says it.

But he’s not an idiot. He’s not the smartest or the strongest or the stealthiest or anything like that. He’s not the best at anything, but he’s survived this far, _(and in Kiri)_ , for good reason. People underestimate him—or maybe they’re estimating him just right—but Kosuke has the desire to survive and sometimes that surprises everyone.

So Kosuke hears the news, reads his orders, straightens his shoulders, and goes to pack. It’s likely everyone thinks he’s packing weapons, preparing for a fight that’s sure to go badly. Oh they might win, but Uzushiogakure’s tough. They all know that, and Kosuke’s not ready to die. Not yet. So he packs. All the money he’s ever saved, every weapon, every paper, every scrap of information he has.

Kiri might not chase him as the war might keep them occupied, but if they do—he needs to be prepared. He needs to have information to sell to get further away from Kiri. Maybe he’ll head up north, away from the main ninja countries where the war is bound to break out.

Kosuke runs. Kosuke runs and runs and runs and never stops hiding, never stops to look back, never forgets the fear that trembles in his heart.

_(Kiri made Uzushio a village of refugees, but it also made some of its own ninjas refugees too.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why consider one side when you can talk about both? Anyway, have a relatively easy story for now. This one has no deaths, but it is the first one.


	2. Karen Takahashi (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They see the ships. They don't get a chance to report it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for past character death and also character death.

**_Uzushiogakure  
Karen Takahashi_ **

Setsuko doesn’t live to see the ships. Karen only knows she dies when she feels the familiar chakra blip out of existence. She mourns, but doesn’t cry. Can’t cry. Not in the moment. Instead, she runs, fear and adrenaline and rage and grief lending her swifter feet. Behind her, she knows the outlook post is being destroyed. There will be no transmission to the other outlooks or even to Uzushio about the danger they are in.

And they are in danger, Karen knows. She knows this the same way she knows at least one other outlook has been attacked. After all, their attackers had come from the direction of the nearest outlook.

She pauses on the steep cliffs that drop away to the ocean and looks out at the sea, _(her body trembles with fear)_. Setsuko doesn’t live to see the ships but Karen does. It’s a fleet, various ships all travelling together with pale sails raised high. The ships aren’t like those constructed in Uzu no Kuni—they resemble those occasionally seen drifting away from Mizu no Kuni.

An invasion.

Karen has lived through war and does not desire to live through another, but war has already come to them, _(Setsuko is dead)_.

A flare of chakra has her spinning, katana deflecting another weapon. A thought passes through the forefront of her mind and she knows it to be true. She won’t live through this fight. She will not be able to bypass the fleet and she can’t alert Uzushio or the other outlooks to the danger. She’ll simply have to hope that someone notices that something’s wrong. If she won’t live through this fight and can’t flee, then there’s only one thing to do. Take out the bastards who dare attack Uzushio and their country.

Baring her teeth in a smile, Karen twists and leaps off the cliff, free falling. She lands on the ocean surface, rolling with the momentum. It’s night time and a moon is shining down and Karen feels like she could see the next island over, if not for the ships.

Her attackers run down the cliff, then sprint over the water towards her. The calmness of the sea works in their favour—Mizu no Kuni is the land of mists and have more gentle waters. Uzu no Kuni is known for their whirlpools. Most people don’t want to be caught by a Kiri-nin on the water, but one never wants to be attacked by an Uzu-nin on the ocean.

There are ten of them and one of her. They’re bad odds, _(they were always going to be bad odds)_. But that doesn’t matter. She won’t let it matter. The aim is not survival. The aim is destruction.

_(She kills over half of them before she gets gravely injured to the point where her fighting is impacted. When she dies, she bares blood-coated teeth and takes the two nearby with her, drowning them in a whirlpool that she lets herself fall into. Her death will not be a nice one, but she destroyed the majority of the squad that came after her and killed Setsuko. She dies grinning.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it all begins, hope you're ready for some death stories.


	3. Shin'ichi Konishi (Kiri)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The death of a (Kiri) genin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for character death and also war.

**_Kirigakure  
Shin’ichi Konishi_ **

Shin’ichi believed in strength and fear. Believed that strength caused fear. Strength was respected, was feared. Without strength, you were nothing. Without strength, you could only bow your head down and follow orders.

He boarded the ship because he followed orders, because he was a shinobi, because he was weak. He was a genin and maybe older than ten and preferred to sit in the corner by himself. He was a few months into his genin career when he disembarked.

_(There are no stories of little lost Kirigakure genins. There is a reason for that.)_

Uzushio was smoke and flames and death. It was blood and ash and fear. He knew fear, knew it well, _(knew it like he knew the scars lining his skin; a reminder that he was weak and that strength was to be feared)_.

He was small and tiny and no one paid much attention to a single boy who knew little, who had four kunais to his name and not much more. But no one ignored a threat to them, and sometimes people underestimated others or got tired. Shin’ichi was not strong and tried to follow orders but he was not a soldier yet, was not made for the front lines, _(he would never get a chance to be more than he was)_. Someone tried to kick him and he lashed out with a kunai, soaking it in blood.

Around him, the world was turning to rubble. Yet Shin’ichi was used to trying to find places to hide. Because sometimes when you don’t have strength, you just have to find another way to survive, _(he wasn’t good for much, but he had survived thus far like the best of them)_. He squirmed his way into a stockroom, huddling in the corner.

A Uzushio kunoichi slammed into the room, powerful and deadly and strong. He was not strong and he didn’t want to be here.

_(Good shinobi follow orders.)_

Shin’ichi did not survive the first days of the battle.

_(Sometimes there were no happy endings.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the character briefly mentioned in the early section of Part 2 Wayfinders in brackets, I believe when Toru is calling his people back. There's a genin hiding and a kunoichi slams into the room and kills him I believe.


	4. Yori Kato (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You cannot outrun your death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for character death.

**_Uzushiogakure  
Yori Kato_ **

Yori runs. It feels like he’s been running for ages. He tugs his husband along, refusing to let go no matter how much his palm is sweating, even though he occasionally stumbles. “You should let me go,” his husband puffs out. “I’m slowing you down.”

“No,” Yori refuses. “No, I’m not going without you. We go together. _Together_.”

“I love you,” Taichi says, which isn’t an answer but it sounds like a protest and a goodbye and he can’t die. Yori can’t have him die, not- not here and not like this and not like everyone else. “You have to go.”

“Please,” Yori says, jerking on Taichi’s hand once again. “Please. Don’t do this to me. Don’t. _Please_.” He’s begging, the words spilling from his lips, and his heart hammering at his chest. “Stay with me.”

“You can live if you run,” Taichi says. “It’ll be easier. You know this. We both do.”

They haven’t stopped running, don’t have a chance even as they argue with each other. They must keep moving, always, _(it’s been days)_. Yori’s lungs ache, whether it be from the constant movement or the smoke that seems to be more prevalent than air. He _aches_ , past his bones and in his heart. His village his gone, his parents, everything. Some of the others have run, but he and Taichi are alone. All he has is Taichi. He can’t lose Taichi too.

“Please,” he begs again, and there are tears in his eyes and trailing down his face and he doesn’t stop to wipe them. Maybe they’ll clear some of the ash from his face.

“Yori,” Taichi says in response. “I want you to live.”

It’s a low blow, and Yori chokes on his emotions, coughs, and regains his balance and keeps running. “And I want you beside me,” he says. “I can’t do this without you. Please. _Please_. Taichi, I need you.”

His husband has never refused him before, but this time he stops, letting go of Yori’s hand. Yori stumbles, almost falls, and spins around. He stops, for the first time. “Taichi,” he begs. “I won’t go, not without you.”

Taichi meets his gaze. There’s a smile playing at his lips, sad and awful and-

“Don’t go, please.”

Taichi blinks, a long drawn out movement that reveals the pain and heartache he must be feeling too. “Go, Yori,” he says. “I can buy you a little bit of time. Live. For me.”

“Without you it won’t be living,” Yori says. He swallows, then steps forward, intertwining his fingers with Taichi’s. “We go, together. Those are our vows, remember?”

This, it seems, is what makes Taichi gives in. He bows his head, frame shuddering. “Yes,” he says. He leans forward, draws Yori into a hug, and kisses him softly. Yori holds him and shakes. They both know what’s coming. “Together.”

Then, there is no more running and there is no more time. The Kirigakure ninjas are on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about how some people wouldn't run when they were leaving others behind. And yeah. This came about.


	5. Kumiko Mori (Kiri)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not wise to go against Uzushio-nins in their own village. But Uzushio has killed enough of them and so Kiri will fight in the name of vengeance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for war and character death and swearing

**_Kirigakure  
Kumiko Mori_ **

They weren’t meant to be there. They fucking _weren’t meant to be there!_ ‘Attack from the east,’ said ~~Shion~~ ~~Tarō~~ ~~Hana~~ Kumiko’s current commander. ‘You’ll hit them from the back. Someone reported that the east holds only their corpses.’

It turned out to be a load of bullshit. If she gets her hands on the scout who reported that, she’ll take care of the Uzu-nin’s work herself by murdering the little bastard. It was probably some upstart genin too trying to worm their way into a promotion. The east is far from empty, but it does have corpses ~~everywhere has corpses~~ she supposes.

Kumiko shifts, avoiding a hastily executed lunge. The ninja fighting her has their teeth bared. The only thing she can make out—other than that blasted Uzushio symbol—is the stupid porcelain animal mask on their hip. They’re covered in blood ~~blood from her fucking squad-mates when the Uzu-nins tried to bomb all of you to high hell and back~~. However, they’re tired. ~~You’ve all been fighting for days, everyone’s fucking tired.~~ And she got rest before being sent out. She’s fresh ~~er~~ and slashes her tantō through their neck. Their head goes rolling. Kumiko leaps over their body and takes out the next Uzu-nin who tried to get in her way.

The fighting is all silent. Heavy breathing and thumps. Another Uzu-nin falls and she doesn’t even have the energy to be glad. Fucking Uzu-nins. Fucking Uzushiogakure with their stupid traps and seals. Fucking bombs appearing when Kumiko doesn’t expect it. ~~Fucking squad-mates dying.~~

The Uzu-nins might be seal masters and might be good at bombs, but they’re not the only ones. And Kumiko’s getting sick of this fighting without moving. ~~She left Shingo in the main force without anyone to watch his back. If Shingo falls, she’ll be alone.~~ Grabbing the explosive tags out, she wraps them around a kunai and tosses it in the centre of a group of Uzu-nins. It explodes, sends blood and limbs flying.

She grins and leaps upwards, over the building, with the other Kiri-nins trailing after her. She lands behind enemy lines. Those Uzu-nins have no idea what’s coming. The first one she kills doesn’t get to turn. The second one gets halfway before they’re dead too. Kumiko grins, cutting her way to the front line. It’s a goddamn massacre and it’s fantastic. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spots Shingo.

~~Damn idiot was coming towards her.~~

She sees him fall. Charging forward, she screams.

~~She never stops screaming.~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the gang on the server who were around when we did little bit of angst writing. This is one of the ones from then. It was a lot of fun.


	6. Reina Manami (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for war

**_Uzushiogakure_ **   
**_Reina Manami_ **   
**_ANBU designation: Shimauma_ **

Reina refused to leave Uzushio until all their people were gone or fighting. She knew, deep in her heart, that her duty was to protect them and give them time. She had nothing else but her duty now.

The fighting was difficult. They had advantages on their side, trickery and traps up their sleeves, but it would not last forever. Could not last forever. They all knew that. Their Uzukage had told them to go if they needed, had promised to give everyone the time they needed to get out. Reina knew that meant he would die, blood pouring out on stones, but that was a sacrifice he decided to make.

_(There would be stories about his fall—but she doesn’t know them yet.)_

She’d been fighting for some time. Teeth bared and snarling. Blood splattered across her uniform and her ANBU mask had cracks running through it. Still, she didn’t care. This was her will and her life and she’d take down as many bastards as she could.

But fighting wouldn’t last forever and something chants in her mind _go, go, go_. It’s not running. It’s not failing in her duty. Their Uzukage and Commander had made that vitally clear.

And so, between one opponent and another, Reina charged out of Uzushio, leaving the village behind, but not her duty. She forced herself onwards, fighting chakra exhaustion as she battled her way through the whirlpools. The shores of their allied country were a blessing to reach, even if she wasn’t safe. But Kirigakure was not here.

No, instead a kind hand helped her to her feet. She stood, wavering, but stood under her own strength. There were people gathered on the shore, facing Uzushio, facing their hometown. She did not know them by name, but they were familiar. They were Uzushio’s.

“How does the fight go?” Someone asked.

They already knew the answer, but she gave it to them anyway. “Badly,” she spat out, blood raging, anger a fire beneath her skin. She ran and she was not wrong to, but she still screamed out from behind her locked teeth.

“How many of us are left?” Another person asked, quiet, meant to be unheard. Their voice is bitter with grief and mourning.

But, at this, Reina grinned, baring her bloodied teeth to the world and her people as they surrounded her. “More than enough,” she said. “Many, many more.”

_(Kirigakure would think they have killed Uzushio and her civilians, razed her to the ground. But there are many of them scattered around, lost to the wind. Many, many more.)_

_(Uzushio had won. Kirigakure had lost. Reina lived to tell their stories.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something slightly more hopeful. This was the first one I wrote, fitting I thought.


	7. Tomoko Kurosawa (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They tell stories, _(they talk about hope)_.

**_Uzushiogakure  
Tomoko Kurosawa_ **

The first night is full of grief. And so is the one that follows that. The days are full of long hours that contain mourning and nothing more. They wander, directionless, and wonder what they are to do now.

There is little that they have to call their own—mainly the things they could pack away. They left their homes behind, things that they couldn’t take with them, things that might led to them being identified as Uzushio. They left all they could afford to leave behind, prepared to struggle and survive whatever would come next.

Something would come next. But the when and what was unknown.

Tomoko felt her age. The grey in hair felt like it had gotten lighter, her wrinkles stronger. Nothing had changed, yet she felt like it had.

They could mourn forever, but they didn’t have to give into their desperation forever. And so Tomoko gathers those around her, calls them together.

They’re one of the smaller groups of Uzushio citizens, had been one of the last to leave too. Three of them are jōnins and Tomoko had been one when she was younger along with one other; someone who may be an ANBU but hasn’t confirmed it; two chūnins; one career genin; and a few last-minute civilians who’d evacuated from another village and met them by the boat.

Still, they’re alive and they’re not alone. They don’t have much, hardly anything really, clothes and hopes and old memories. And their grief—that, they have in loads.

A fire burns away merrily in the centre of their group, sending smoke up into the sky and spitting sparks with a happy crackle. Tomoko smiles at it and leans forward. They don’t have much but she can give them something more. Something bigger than them.

_(They have hope, have belief, but it cannot last forever so Tomoko will give them something that will ensure it lasts.)_

“Once,” she begins, “there was an Uzushio ANBU known as Jakkaru…”

_(There had been stories, already, of Jakkaru. Ones that were told by ANBU to ANBU. Ones that floated on the wind from enemies as warnings and cautions. There would be new tales soon, as well. Jakkaru was a name that Uzushio would always sing. This is the first tale told of Uzushio’s destruction that contains less death and more hope. It is Jakkaru, Uzukage, ANBU Commander.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope's sometimes all you have.


	8. Mariko Nanami (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did the Nanami Fleet end up being a thing?

**_Uzushiogakure  
Mariko Nanami_ **

Mariko Nanami has been Clan Head of the Nanami Clan for five years. This… Nothing over the past few months could have been something she’d been prepared for. The mass migration of her people and trying to avoid massive groups. It had been challenging, because their clan is so close-knit. It had been even more challenging because no one wanted to live their friends and not-blood family behind.

But it had been this or die, Mariko knows. And many of them would die, but more of them would live, _(she had to remember that)_. They can’t settle together, but she longs too. She wants to keep her people close to her, to do her best to protect them as their Uzukages have done for so long, _(and, before Uzushio, like the past Nanami Clan Heads had done)_.

Sighing, Mariko shifts in the crow’s nest, turning to gaze out at the ships that follow the one she’s on. The closest ship is similar to the one she’s on, which makes sense considering both ships had been taken from pirates. Her one is called _Sazanami_ , whilst the other is called _Takanami_. Both ships appear rather intimidating and Mariko hopes they don’t spook the civilians in the port too much—neither ship is flying a black flag, _(but they could not put up any sign that the ships might belong to Uzushio, it’s far too dangerous)_.

Behind _Sazanami_ , the other ships almost appear to be part of a fleet. An odd fleet, one with various types of ships, but a fleet nonetheless. The thought makes Mariko pause. Because…

_(Because Uzushio fell and she doesn’t want to abandon her people.)_

Because there’s an idea there. She flings herself over the crow’s nest, delighting in the wind brushing past her face, and rolling when she hits the wooden deck. She bounds over to her second, who turns away from the captain. “Mariko-sama?” Xyr asks, _(and tiredness pinches at the corners of xyr eyes; Mariko hates it)_.

_(Is there a problem? Xe does not ask, because that’s all everyday seems to be. Problem after problem.)_

“Shiori-san, do you think we could form a fleet?”

“A fleet?” Shiori echoes, frown on xyr face. The fact xe thinks about it before answering fills Mariko with something like hope, _(and there’s been so little of it recently)_. “We have the ships for it I suppose. What are you thinking?”

Mariko swallows. “Initially, the plan was to split into small groups when we hit land. However, we could instead act as a fleet, potentially masquerading as pirates, and stay together instead. We would all be Nanami. We don’t have to abandon who we are or who we were.”

_(We can remain as family, as friends, as we should be in Uzushio, she does not say. She doesn’t need to say it, Shiori hears it already.)_

“The logistics might be tricky,” Shiori says, but there’s a smile on the face; a glimmer of hope in xyr eyes. “We can do it though. And… it’ll be good to stay by the sea.”

_(The sea has always been a neighbour of Uzushio, it is only fair that they remain with the sea until they are acalled home. The sea never dies after all.)_

_(And if they can cause chaos for Kirigakure and raise hell, then all the better.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people might recognise this from old writings, I changed the ship names to following naming conventions but otherwise it's the same. Shout out to the server gang who helped me with this!


	9. Yūna Shimizu (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not only ninjas who run, the civilians do so to.

**_Uzushiogakure  
Yūna Shimizu_ **

Yūna’s fingers are no longer shaking. She doesn’t know when that happened. She only knows that they’ve been shaking for so long it hardly feels like she knows how to hold them still anymore.

Perhaps they stopped shaking when she pushed past fear and into steady determination. Perhaps they stopped when the panic disappeared and left only exhaustion. Perhaps they stopped shaking the first time Yūna slit someone’s throat.

She’s never killed someone before, _(remembers the throat beneath her knife, remembers the blood pouring, remembers the light in their eyes fading, remembers being grim and glad for some awful, awful reason)_. She’s a civilian, the ninjas of Uzu no Kuni—of Uzushiogakure—should have protected her. But they’re doing that and dying.

Yūna had been one of the lucky ones. She’s fit, relatively young, and had been in one of the villages furthest from Kirigakure. Not that it had saved her village, it simply meant hers hadn’t been the first to burn.

She stumbles.

A hand grabs her arm, hefting her upwards and helping her regain her balance. “Are you alright?” Yūna looks at the person beside her. Ze looks worried, eyes narrowed and wrinkles engraved into hir forehead, Yūna is certain they hadn’t been there a few weeks ago.

Yūna gets her feet beneath her. “Yes,” she says to her best friend. “I am. Thank you.”

Ze hums, somewhat doubtfully, and Yūna doesn’t pull away, just leans a bit more heavily onto hir. She is, she’ll admit, tired and exhausted, but her hands have stopped trembling and she is quick to pull out a blade out should it be needed. “We’ll be making camp soon,” ze says. “Kanako is struggling more today.”

That’s- That’s not good, far from good in fact. Kanako is almost nine months pregnant. Everyone is worried that the stress from the invasion and their fleeing will cause a premature birth. Yūna knows that Kanako needs somewhere stable and safe to live, but they have nothing that can provide that. Instead, they are in a strange country with people they are familiar with because they’ve all grown up in the same village.

Somewhat grimly, Yūna just replies, “Hopefully there will be a village nearby.”

“Agreed,” ze says. “We all need a place to rest.” Hir gives her a pointed look, and Yūna drops hir gaze rather than keeping it. She knows what ze is getting at—she’s been struggling more than she did before- before she killed that ninja, _(but she’d choose anyone’s life over her own group of refugees, these people are some of the few that remain of her village and she will not give that up)_.

Swallowing, Yūna doesn’t say any of that, just grips hirs fingers tightly. They don’t know what lies ahead of them and it’s hard to have hope, but at least they are all alive. At least they have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing about the Naruto world is that it's so focussed on the ninja side of things, you rarely get to see how civilians are impacted (though there are some awesome fics out there that do explore it). Food for thought.


	10. Chihiro Asano (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are those out there who are not in Uzushio, who are on missions. What happened to them? _(Those left did their best to help, left messages hidden away, and then choices were made.)_

**_Uzushiogakure  
Chihiro Asano_ **

Chihiro has settled into a routine, and has been living it for over a month now. They work as a simple farmer. With only one hand, they’re frequently whispered about behind their back. That’s okay though, they’re known to be a ninja who fought and lost their hand, known to be discharged. It’s exciting, for the village, though much of the gossip has died down now.

More importantly, it’s _that_ that people pay attention to, and so no one notices that Chihiro is really an active ninja and undercover. It’s lasted a month already, and Chihiro is fairly certain it’ll last another two months—which is when their mission technically finishes, unless they gather the information before.

Chihiro doubts that’ll happen. The missing-nin bounty outpost they’ve been surveying is fairly quiet and they’re stilling waiting for some of the Uzushio missing-nins to appear. That’s fine though, Chihiro has time and they’re patient.

Clicking their tongue, Chihiro urges the draft horse forward. The whole thing is a façade and while they could, probably, disappear in the middle of the night to check on the dead drop and give their report in, it’s far safer to disappear obviously. This way no one questions things.

_(Chihiro learnt this from their commanding officer, who’d been a great infiltrator and intelligence officer, especially in civilian villages, but had slipped up in a vital moment. From her mistakes, Chihiro has learnt what not to do. They will never make the same mistake.)_

The dead drop is half a day’s journey from Chihiro’s legally acquired farm. They whistle their way along the route, talking to themself and the horse. It’s routine. Easy.

They get to the dead drop.

There’s no one around, so Chihiro leaves the wagon fixed up and drops to his knees at the base of the tree, breaking the ground open with a jutsu and pulling out the wooden container. A sliver of chakra activates the seals, which scrawl across the box in thick, dark lines of ink. Breathing out slowly, Chihiro lifts the lid and-

A scroll sits there, capped with metal, and violent seals placed along its outside. Chihiro cuts their finger and bleeds onto the seal, which then opens the scroll.

They read it once. Then a second time. And still, disbelieving and with shaking fingers, they carefully roll it back up. Uzushio has fallen.

_Uzushio has fallen._

There is silence, in Chihiro’s head. They can’t push past the silence and fear that grips them. They’ve never experienced terror like this before. There is no escape. Uzushio has fallen, been invaded by Kiri, and Chihiro didn’t know. He doesn’t even know how long it’s been but—likely a week, at least, considering that the scroll is here.

Slowly, they breathe out. _The scroll._ Someone left it here for them. Someone knew about the dead drop and had left a blood seal to unlock it, meaning they likely knew they were of the Asano Clan too. It’s not going to be a trap, Chihiro knows that much just based on how the seal is written and the information in it. It means that someone is looking out for all those in active missions.

Well, Chihiro’s mission is over now. They’re not going to wait and bide their time. No, it’s time that they truly retreat into themself, finding other Uzushio-nins perhaps and becoming a refugee.

_(Uzushio has fallen.)_

The message speaks that there is hope, and Chihiro has to believe that. They can hardly do otherwise. Chihiro rises to his feet. They need to find their family, _(they need to run)_.


	11. Ryōichi Sasaki (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might not have their village, but they have each other.

**_Uzushiogakure  
Ryōichi Sasaki_ **

When Uzushio goes down, Ryōichi is not there. Ryōichi had been evacuated with many others.

And now, at what seems like the height of the war, Ryōichi is in a village and inhaling what tastes like the best meal of tempura in the world. His teammates are doing the same on either side of him. It’s been ages since they’ve had good, proper food—months, in fact. It’s been long enough that their sensei has deemed it safe.

Well, their _senseis_ had finally agreed it was safe together after a week of surveillance. Ryōichi can’t bring himself to mind. His sensei and her wife are doing their best to keep them safe. At first, Ryōichi had been awful to them both, angry and shouting and grieving because why had sensei’s wife come when Ryōichi’s family had stayed behind and died?

Ryōichi hasn’t made his peace with that, and he doubts he ever will. He has, however, come to the conclusion that he can do nothing about it but survive. By surviving, by living, he is doing what his parents wanted. It has to be enough.

“Okay there?” His teammate, Miu, asks.

He nudges her shoulder with his own. “Been better,” he admits.

“Been worse too,” his third teammate, Nao, points out. He tilts his head in agreement. “And you have us with you.”

Ryōichi looks up to the sky and smiles, _(because it’s easier than crying)_. “I’d be worse off without you,” he says, and knows it to be true. Without his teammates, without their teachers, Ryōichi would’ve fallen to the Kiri-nins or the war—and gladly, he knows. He has something to live for, like this.

He places down payment on the table, waves to the stall owner, and then the three of them are off. Before they can get much more than a metre away from the stall, when Chō and Kouki find them, hand in hand.

“Enjoy your meal?” Kouki asks with a smile. “I’m sure you were all happy to enjoy food cooked by someone other than ourselves.”

“Would’ve been better if you were with us,” Miu says with hesitation and both Ryōichi and Nao nod in agreement. Then Miu smiles, a small sly thing that’s been rare to see in the last few months, “Though we understand you might want some time to yourself.”

“Miu!” Chō shouts and the genins laugh amongst themselves. They might not be able to claim Uzushio’s as theirs, but they can claim each other as family at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean I can't shove found family into everything???


	12. Noriaki Uzumaki (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are things out there that are worse than death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for war and torture and death

_**Uzushiogakure** _   
_**Noriaki Uzumaki** _   
_**Codename: Gazeru** _

Noriaki had a feeling it would come to an end like this. He’d hoped otherwise, hoped with all that he was and with everything he had, but still—it came to an end.

See—he’d tried. Uzushio was his, has always been, but more than that—he’s _Uzushio’s_. He would die for the village, would give his life without question, would always step between Uzushio and danger. But…

Well, Noriaki had been sent with a group of clan ninjas, to protect them, and also protect the information they had taken with them, important seals and scrolls. But the Kiri-nins had come, _(they never seemed to stop, Noriaki wasn’t even sure it was possible)_ , and Noriaki had stood between his people and refused to budge.

He’d thought it would end in his death. It was expected. It was, perhaps, the only thing that was certain now. Except—the Kiri-nins hadn’t killed him, even when they’d taken him down and he’d been on his knees and doing his best to not give in and keep baring his teeth, _(he was Uzushio’s and he was damn proud of that)_.

Instead, the Kiri-nins had placed handcuffs around his wrists, blocked his chakra the best they could with substandard seals, and taken him as prisoner. Noriaki was going to die before he would say a single thing. They would never know what Uzushio planned or what Uzushio could still do or that Uzushio was even alive.

_(But first? First he would scream. He would scream and scream and scream until his throat was cracked and bloodied and they finally slit his throat.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I can't have too many good things.


	13. Yū Akimizu (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes there's a point where you get sick of waiting. After that, what do you do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for death and suicide missions and war

**_Uzushiogakure  
Yū Akimizu_ **

They were never all going to be coming home.

Yū has known this ever since their village fell. They are not very strong or very smart and have never had a Bingo Book entry. But they’re a chūnin who has aced every trapping test set in front of them and learnt all that they could about traps. Because ninjas will always fight and war had been brewing on the horizon for some time.

They didn’t necessarily plan to not survive, to die and die screaming, to die without seeing Uzushio ever again. The world doesn’t care for plans though. And there is a war going on. It is a war that brought Uzushio down and without a village, without such strong defences, it is difficult to survive.

And it’s difficult to keep hope going. There is always a point where everything just drops away, becomes pointless. Not everyone hits it, but it’s always there.

Yū has hit it.

With them, they’ve got two more ninjas at their side. The others of their group have gone on, planning to disappear further into the wilderness and hope that the war won’t touch them. Yū thinks it will, but they’re not going to say that aloud. Hope’s still important, even if they don’t really have it.

_(They have vengeance and anger and it’s been rising in their blood for far too long to stop now.)_

Uzushio’s been gone for over year with no sign of a comeback and maybe it’ll be alright in the future, after the war, but Yū’s seen too much bloodshed to wait that long.

“Let’s get these Kiri bastards,” Yū says lowly to their friends, _(family)_ , as they glare out into the fog.

The kunoichi beside them grins, teeth bared to the world, whilst the last ninja carefully nudges a wire. “You do the honours, Yū.”

Grinning wide, Yū slashes the wire and hears the explosion ringing ahead of them. The fog thickens with smoke and there’s the sound of shouting. The heat billows out, stealing away the chill. Another explosion goes off and a nearby thump signals a thrown body.

Yū and their family go running out, screaming, explosions and traps all around them going off and taking everyone else down. They will die here, all three of them, whilst the rest of their family disappear further away.

_(Uzushio is dead and not all of them are going to come home.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the end, not everyone will return home.


	14. Hunter Team 3 (Uzushio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are ANBU out there on missions. What do you think they did?

_**Uzushiogakure**  
ANBU Squad: Hunter Team 3 (core)  
Ken Manami, Hiroto Hagoromo, Kyoko Itō, Hoshi Sasaki  
ANBU Designation: Farukon, Chinpanjī, Kurokodairu, Shīra_

Most ninjas, if asked a question about the worst thing to experience, would claim that having their village fall would be the most unimaginable horror in their world. They would all be wrong.

Ken would attest to that, and so would the rest of his squad. The worst thing, by far, was not being able to help your village before the fall. Ken’s ANBU core squad was comprised of four ANBU from the hunter and tracking division of ANBU. They were one of the best teams and often sent out on missions occurring in distant regions thanks to Hiroto, who was able to keep in relatively good contact with Uzushio thanks to her clan nin-animals.

They had only been a month into their tracking mission, following a trail through Hi no Kuni up into Yu no Kuni and going further to find the origin of the systematic sabotage of one of their Daimyō’s trading businesses. Such missions were always tricky, because one had to find paper trails and listen to rumours, but Ken’s squad was well-equipped and used to such missions.

Still, their entire plan had changed when Hiroto had received a message from his clan. Like protocol dictated, Hiroto handed the missive off to Ken who reviewed it. Reading it and then having to tell his squad of the Kirigakure invasion had easily been one of the hardest things Ken had ever done in his life.

Harder still had been deciding not to return to Uzushio, to see if they could help or if Uzushio would no longer be standing. They had all argued fiercely in advocation to return, but it was Hoshi who’d pointed out that their Kage had given a command. To not return until they were called. And if, like the message said, they were evacuating Uzushio quietly, returning in a rush could bring unwanted attention. It was safer for the refugees and them to not return, even if it broke their hearts.

In the aftermath, they struggle, fluctuating between feeling like traitors and like survivors. They stick together throughout it all. They are a team and family and friends and everything that encompasses and more.

And, when that call goes out, they return. They might not return in one piece, but they return together. All of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd give you a nicer ending this time.


	15. Kirigakure

**_Kirigakure_ **

Kirigakure invades Uzushiogakure. They lose ninja after ninja, ship after ship, but the village falls. The village falls to them and Kiri celebrates. How can they not? They’ve accomplished what they set out to do. This is their success.

_(Kiri depends on strength, values it, and those who survive? Well, they must be strong to have come out on the other side of the invasion.)_

With the success of the invasion, Kiri go into the war with high hopes. They are strong, and they know this. Without a doubt, they cannot fail. Their ninjas might fall, but there will always be more. And they are numerous, able to send ninja after ninja onto the frontlines.

Uzushio is dead, they cheer. Uzushio fell to us, they tell themselves. And so they push themselves forward, shout their successes, and never know the lie they say. It is not what leads to Kiri’s fall, in the war, but it plays a role.

See, Kiri overestimates their ability, praises their skill when Uzushio never really fell. And so, Kiri gets overconfident, overreaches, and suddenly they have only body counts rather than soldiers. And so they retreat, to their islands and their mist, and fight amongst themselves rather than in a war.

The greatest victory Kiri had in the war was Uzushio’s fall, and even that was a failure. But perhaps, in time, it might be a success in its own way.


	16. Uzushiogakure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, haven't you heard? Don't you know? The sea never dies.

_**Uzushiogakure** _

Uzushiogakure falls. It falls and blood fills the streets, _(ash coats the ground and smoke is the only thing in the sky; above, it is only grey—it almost looks like there is no sky)_. The buildings crumble down in on themselves, the island burns, _(Uzushiogakure falls)_.

The bodies do not line the streets, they fall where they died and no one moves them. They will remain there, decaying and rotten, until only skeletons and bits of fabric remain. This is what is left of Uzushiogakure—rubble, overgrown plants, and skeletons. It is a village of ghosts, _(but it had once been a village of joy)_.

Kirigakure rejoices with Uzushiogakure’s fall, but there’s something they don’t know. Something that the majority of the world doesn’t know. Here is the best kept secret in the world: Uzushiogakure might have fallen, but Uzushio has not, _(the sea never dies)_.

The people of Uzushio run, they are split into groups and sometimes they are with their family and sometimes they are with their team and sometimes they are with their friends and sometimes they are alone. It matters not because they are _alive_. Alive and no one can take that from them.

_(The war is in their veins. They learn to look over their shoulders, to watch their shadows, to hold weapons in their sleeves. They learn to blend in, to never stop, to always run. And they learn how to let go of some traditions, shedding layers that would link them to Uzushio. Some find safety in Konoha. Most don’t.)_

Hope is universal. Everyone knows hope to some degree. They know it in the way they hope for a better day. They know it in the way they fight for their lives and keep trying even when winning seems impossible. They know it in the way they always take another step forward.

Once upon a time, Uzu no Kuni had hope too. It was a simple thing, an easy thing, and nothing extraordinary. After all, hope served them no more purpose than any other village. Until, that is, Uzushiogakure fell.

Now, hope is the most important thing that the people of Uzushio, and Uzu no Kuni too, cling to. It slips over their shoulders like a well worn jacket, sits snug around their feet and never drips away in their footprints, tugs on their hand and reminds them that Uzushio will be back one day.

Hope started like this: the sea never dies. Hope continued like this: there is a story about an Uzushio ANBU called Jakkaru.

_(There are many stories. Not all feature Jakkaru or Toru. There are others there too, names and names and names of people left behind, people who’ve died for them to live. But these are the stories that Uzushio tell of.)_

Uzushio survives this way, not through hiding or running—they survive by telling stories, _(they cling to their culture, to their ideals, to **hope** in this way)_.

In the end, what is hope but promising yourself that tomorrow will be better? That tomorrow will always be better? _That_ is hope and always has been.

And so Uzushio promises that the next day will be better by speaking of Jakkaru, of Toru, of Uzushio stories and legends and heroes. The sea never dies and so the stories are always told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, I had to end on a hopeful note. I could hardly do anything else. Shout out to Maye who gave me the idea of ending on a hopeful note and it being about Uzushio.


End file.
